Anyone recognizable belongs to Janet Evanovich

Chapter 9

The age of a woman doesn't mean a thing. The best tunes are played on the oldest fiddlesRalph Waldo Emerson

The next week found me settling into a routine of morning training followed by breakfast, a shower and Rangeman computer searches. Jack quickly became one of the guys. I'm not sure how much he was enjoying Trenton in summer, but it was obvious that the work compensated for the geography. I saw him every morning on five. He was being paired with a different merry man every day until he got to know the routine. It seemed he was a natural and within a few days he was a merry man and no longer the new guy.

My mom was a different story. She showed up every day, early, in direct contrast to my mostly late and occasionally on time arrival. And she dressed in Rangeman black. Most days she wore a skirt, blouse and low heeled black pumps. She was temporarily being housed in Tank's office until permanent digs could be arranged for the administrative assistant. From my computer cubicle I had a view of the door to her new office. If I leaned back in my chair and stretched nonchalantly I could see the corner of her desk.

On the third day of her employment I noticed that her office was getting a lot of traffic. I ventured over to see how things were going. I had to fight my way through Cal, Hal and Vince who were huddled around the desk. When I finally broke through the black sea I saw my mother sitting behind a desktop that had been recently dusted and was free from the overflowing stacks of paper that had been status quo for Tank. On one side of the desk was a phone, a small rack of files and an in and out tray neatly filled with papers and forms. On the other side was a small crystal vase filled with fresh flowers, and in the middle sat a large platter of homemade blueberry muffins. I recognized my mom's baked offering and my mouth began to water just from looking. Ranger stood behind my mother facing the rest of us. It struck me that though the room was full of people no one was talking. They were all chewing, even Ranger.

"Hey." I sputtered, "What happened to the 'no junk food in the workplace' rule?"

"It's not junk food, Babe," Ranger said, brushing a muffin crumb from his shirt. "Helen brought in her new recipe for us to try. They are low fat, high fiber muffins and they are delicious." He turned to my mother and gave her the 200 watt smile. "Helen, could I convince you to share this recipe with Ella?"

My mother beamed. "Why of course Carlos." She turned to the rest of the group, "Help yourselves to seconds, boys, but save one for Stephanie. Blueberry muffins are a favorite of hers." She smiled at me before turning back to Ranger. "Carlos I wanted to remind you of the new client meeting this morning. Pierre is already in the conference room preparing."

Carlos and Pierre? Give me a break, I thought. What was wrong with Tank and Ranger. While none of the other men would have dared to call Tank by his given name, I somehow knew that Tank wouldn't mind my mom's use of it. I grabbed a muffin off the tray and with a muttered "Thanks, Mom" went back to my cubicle.

I finished the morning by doing computer searches interspersed with the occasional, unobtrusive stretching of my arms and neck. The flow of merry men in and out of my mom's office was amazing. She must have had a second tray in reserve. I shut my computer down shortly before noon and went in search of my husband.

I found Ranger and Tank at the door of the conference room where they were watching a man in what looked to be a very expensive suit step on the elevator. When the elevator door slid closed Tank turned to Ranger and they did their complicated fist bump handshake. Ranger picked me up and swung me around planting a noisy very unRangerlike kiss on my mouth.

"Wow," I said. "Was that the new client? How'd the meeting go?"

"It was the new client," Tank said. "And the meeting went great. Now that Ranger is going to dedicate himself fulltime to this business, big changes are going to come."

"That was the security director for the BetaBank Group," Ranger said. I recognized the name as one of the biggest investment banking groups in the country.

"Rangeman has just inked a deal to provide security for all of their east coast facilities." Ranger seemed excited and that was unusual because his emotions were typically tightly under control. I knew this must have been a big deal but before I could ask Ranger continued. "It will mean a profit high in the seven figures over the next couple of years, Babe. And that's good because I won't be getting government reimbursement any longer." Seven figures was more money than I had ever conceived of being worth. Suddenly I didn't feel quite so guilty about all the black Rangeman vehicles I had sent to car heaven.

"Are we taking the rest of the day off to celebrate?" I asked hopefully.

"I don't think so," Tank answered. "We still have an FTA to get."

"I know," I said, "and I certainly want to get to him before Joyce does. It's like he has dropped off the face of the earth. His mother hasn't seen him. His girlfriend hasn't seen him, he has no record of employment and I'm not sure where to look next."

Ranger shot a look at Tank and then said, "Word on the street is that he is a bagman for Harry the Hammer. That would explain why Vinnie bonded him out in the first place since Harry is his father-in-law. But Babe, I don't want you to nose around Harry. It's not safe and I don't want Rangeman connected with a known mob boss."

"I can make some discreet inquires," Tank said. "It would go better if I was alone."

"That's fine by me," I said. I turned to Ranger and said, "What about you? Do you have time for a quick lunch?" His eyes met mine and I knew we were both remembering our last quick lunch and the twenty minutes that followed it.

He shook his head regretfully, "I've got work to finish up here. But you're right, Babe. We should celebrate." He turned to Tank. "Call Lula and we'll make it a foursome tonight. I'll treat everyone to dinner at Frankie's. Does that sound okay to you, Babe?" It sounded great to me. Frankie's was a well known supper club, famous for their barbecue and great jazz, and Ranger and I had never been on a double date with anyone. Tank and Lula ought to make for interesting dinner companions.

I decided to check on my father and see if he wanted to have lunch with me. I made plans to meet Tank back at Rangeman at 1500 hours to plan a method of attack for getting Thomas Johns.

When I pulled my Porsche up in front of my parent's house I was amazed to see my father standing behind the screen door looking out at me. My grandmother or my mother had almost always anticipated my arrival and I was used to seeing one of them watch for me. I guess some of their ESP had rubbed off on my dad. I hurried up the walk, opened the door and gave him a hug.

"How are you doing, Dad?" I asked. "Have you had lunch yet?"

"No," he said. "And I'm doing just fine."

"Let's go to lunch," I said. "My treat." I walked into to living room and was startled at the condition of the room. There were dirty dishes and take out containers littering every table surface.

"I'm not in the mood to eat out," he grumbled. I could see why. Every fast food restaurant in Trenton was represented by the stacks of food wrappers and debris around the room.

"Okay," I said undaunted. "I'll fix us lunch here." That seemed to brighten his mood a little and he sat down to watch The People's Court while I went into the kitchen. The kitchen was spotless, just as mom had left it. I looked in the freezer and found a pound cake which I sat out on the counter to thaw. I poked around in the cupboard until I found the peanut butter. I made PB and olive sandwiches on white bread and put them on Mom's good china. I found a small bag of nacho chips which I split between the two plates. I poured us both a tall glass of milk and set the table in the dining room. I called my dad to the table and he hurried out and took his usual place. He looked at the lumpy sandwich in front of him. Slowly he peeled back the bread to find nice pimento stuffed green olives half buried in creamy peanut butter. He sighed and looked up at me.

"I miss your mother." He made no other comment and we ate in companionable silence. When our plates were empty I took them to the kitchen and returned with two thick slices of pound cake topped with Cool Whip and chocolate syrup.

As we ate our dessert I decided to be brave and said, "Dad, we need to talk about Mom. She is working at Rangeman."

"I know," my father said. "Ranger called me last week. He told me he was going to hire her. He didn't want me think he was taking sides but he wanted to help her and he seemed to think she could do the job."

"Dad, are you having an affair with Marjorie Witazak?" I was afraid to hear his answer.

"No! Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Well," I said, "Grandma said that you took Marjorie to get coffee the other day."

"You're grandma is a nosy, gossiping, meddlesome old bat!" I was surprised by the vehemence of his response. "I did pick up Marjorie the other day, in my taxi. I took her to the coffee shop and picked her up two hours later and she paid a fare both ways. I am not having an affair, and if I was I wouldn't have an affair with anyone but your mother!"

I was momentarily speechless. I don't know what I had expected to hear but I hadn't heard it. "What is this separation about Dad? I know you said it's between you and Mom but I don't see you two trying to work anything out." My Dad's shoulders were stooped. He looked old. I mentally contrasted that with my mother's new job, black wardrobe and general excitement with the situation. This wasn't going to be good.

"I gave your mother an ultimatum," he said. "Your grandmother and I have never gotten along very well. We did okay when we only saw each other once a week or so, but the last few years that she's been living here have been hell for me. I told your mother it was either Edna or me. One of us had to go. And your mother and grandmother moved out. I've worked hard all my life. I took care of my family the best I could. I looked forward to the time when you and Valerie were on your own so that your mom and I could have our own life. Then your Grandma came to live with us. Your mom turned into this Burg housewife on overdrive. I want the old Helen back."

I didn't know what to say. I got up and hugged my dad. He wasn't done yet. Once he started talking it was as if a dam had burst.

"I want the old Helen back," he said again. The girl that was sexy and fun-loving and full of life. Not the bitter Burg gossip she's turned into." I couldn't help myself. I started crying. My dad awkwardly patted my shoulders.

"I'm sorry Stephanie, I shouldn't put this on you. It's our problem and we will work it out."

I looked at my watch. "I'm fine Dad. I know you two can work this out. Maybe…" I shuddered. "Maybe, Grandma can spend some time at Rangeman. Or, well I don't know," I finished lamely. "We will find a solution. I hate to go but I'm meeting Tank to get an FTA." We hugged again and got in my Porsche and drove away trying to imagine my mother as sexy, fun-loving and full of life. I had an image of both my parents putting their personal desires on the back burner, simmering and waiting for the time when they could make each other their first priority again. I was worried that my mother's simmering was getting ready to break out into a rolling boil, and then grandma would be the least of my dad's worries.

I pulled into the garage on Haywood behind Tank. We exited our vehicles at the same time.

"Whatcha got for me?" I asked.

"Plenty of information," Tank said, "but no leads on location. Let's take a ride down Stark Street and I'll tell you what I learned."

I climbed into the black Navigator and we pulled out of the garage. As we headed to Stark Street Tank turned toward me and said, "Keep your eyes open. We are going to take a trip through Thomas Johns' working territory. He was working as a bagman for Harry the Hammer and he hadn't made his daily drop yet when he was arrested for shooting Timothy. The drop never got made and Harry wants his money."

"Are you saying Thomas stole the money?" I asked.

"Not necessarily," Tank replied. "Some people close to the situation think that maybe Timothy took the money and Thomas went after him. The shooting may not have anything to do with the undetermined paternity problem. Either way Harry is after his money or Thomas Johns, whichever he can find first."

"We'll never find him," I sighed. "If Harry was after me I know I'd stay hidden."

"The situation could work in our favor," Tank said. "Compared to Harry and his goons we are definitely the lesser of two evils. If Harry gets close we may become Johns' safest option." We continued our tour through the seedier side of Trenton but saw no sign of Thomas Johns. We pulled back into the garage and I left Tank to go to seven. I was going to take a nap so I would be ready for our evening celebration.

Ranger and I walked into Frankie's to find Lula and Tank waiting for us. Lula and Ranger spent a few seconds ogling each other, both surprised by what they saw. Ranger had broken from tradition by wearing something other than all black. He wore dark grey slacks with a paler grey shirt. He managed to look casual, confident and totally hot, all at the same time. Lula was wearing a bright orange spandex tube dress with lime green gladiator sandals, and she made it work. Tank couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. Not too many people could wear the colors of road construction signs and pull it off, but she did it.

I was very excited to be out with Lula and Tank. It was fun to watch Lula work her magic on Tank. He was totally enraptured by her. She always described their relationship as friends with benefits, but Tank was giving the impression that they were very, very good friends. I know Ranger was enjoying the byplay between his friend and mine. Lula and I were in the middle of a hushed conversation about the hair color of the lady at the table next to us when she pointed to the entrance of the restaurant.

"Hey, look. Isn't that Jack paying his bill and getting ready to leave?" We all looked to the front of the restaurant to see Jack, his hand on the small of a woman's back opening the door to leave. The woman turned to smile up at him. I dropped my beer in my lap.

"Damn!" Lula exclaimed. She looked at my ashen face. The woman was my mother. I jumped to my feet, pushing my chair back with such force that it toppled over. Before I could move Ranger's arm clamped around my wrist. Tank leaned over and set my chair upright.

Ranger stood with me and said to Tank and Lula, "Excuse us for a moment." Never letting go of my arm he walked me toward the front of the restaurant.

"Ranger, it was my mother!" I hissed as quietly as I could. "Let go of me. I've got to go find her."

"Babe, they're gone," he said. "I just wanted some privacy to tell you that I don't think it's what you're thinking."

"I'm thinking," I said, "that my mother, my married mother, was out on a date with a man more than twenty years younger than her!"

"Jack came to me today and asked me for a restaurant suggestion. He said that he someone had been especially helpful to him getting settled in Trenton and he wanted to do something as a thank you. I suggested this place, but I didn't know he'd be here tonight, and I didn't know he'd be bringing your mother. I think they are friends, Steph."

"Friends?" I asked. "My mother doesn't make friends with younger men. My mother's friends are women her own age. Women from the Altar Society at church. Not a man younger than her own daughter."

"Let it go, Babe. Whether they are friends, as I suspect, or something more there is really nothing you can do about it. Come back and celebrate the future of Rangeman with our friends." He gently pulled me toward him and gave me a soft kiss on the forehead and I returned to the table and tried to put what I had seen out of my mind.

The evening passed and we were getting ready to leave the restaurant when Ranger's cell phone rang.

"Yo," he said holding the phone to his ear and listening intently. "Okay, we're on our way." He disconnected and looked at Tank. "There's been a break-in at the Jeffrey account and the police are in route, but we'd better make an appearance."

"Give me your keys," I said to Ranger. "You go with Tank and I'll take Lula home."

Ranger handed me his keys and said, "I shouldn't be too late. Wait up for me." He gave me the look that let me know he had interesting plans for the rest of the evening. I smiled back my reply, but my mind was racing with thoughts of Jack and my mother. I couldn't shake a very bad feeling I had.

Lula was barely buckled into the car before she turned to me and said, "Your mama was on a date with a hot younger man! I never thought I'd see that. Maybe your grandma, but I never imagined your mom had it in her."

"Stop!" I said. "Ranger says that they are just friends, that there is nothing more to it. For Pete's sake, Jack's younger than me."

"You're probably right," she said. "He did have his hand around her waist and that does seem pretty friendly." We changed the subject by mutual agreement and decided to get ice cream before we called it a night. I dropped Lula off and headed for Haywood, but the Porsche had a mind of its own and before I knew it I was headed to my old apartment.

I pulled into the parking lot and looked around. Big blue was parked in the corner and most of the other cars looked familiar to me. I didn't know what Jack was driving but he didn't seem to be the Buick LeSabre type of guy, and that's what the parking lot was mostly full of. I parked the Turbo and quietly got out and headed for the fire escape. There were no lights coming from the living room window. A hint of light was coming from the bedroom window, maybe a nightlight, I thought. I was pretty sure someone was home.

I was dressed in a short skirt and stretchy t-shirt, not exactly my first choice for climbing a fire escape but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I pulled myself up and began climbing to the landing by my old bedroom window. I had to see for myself that the bed was empty. Or if there was someone in it with my mom it had better be Grandma Mazur.

I stood quietly on the landing for a moment until I realized that the bedroom window was cracked open and I heard noise coming from inside. Cautiously I moved closer to the window and peered through. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, but I definitely saw two figures entwined in my old bed. I stumbled and caught hold of the railing. Little black dots started jumping in front of my eyes. I felt dizzy and instantly nauseous. The ground was two stories beneath me. I gripped the railing tighter. Slowly in almost a trance I began my descent. As I dropped to the ground two strong arms went around me and I was pulled back against a hard male body.

I shivered uncontrollably as Ranger turned me around in his arms. He looked at my shocked expression.

"Babe?" he questioned, his voice soft and full of concern.

"They are in bed." I said.

"Helen and Jack?" Ranger asked, one eyebrow arching in surprise.

"No. Grandma and Mr. Wolesky! I need a donut," and then I burst into tears.